S T O R I E S
R O O T S
My mum often tells me how, as a child, I would disappear from sight as I was scanning the beachline. Looking down, I was always searching the ground for small treasure. Shells, fossils, feathers, bones; little souvenirs to add to my ‘collection of memories’.
I’ve always cherished a huge fascination for stories and history. For everything that made me wonder about the past and aroused curiosity about origin and tale. That’s why, for me, it has never been just about the physical value of things, but especially about nostalgia. About the backgrounds, roots and stories that old items carry with them.
Old objects have a soul and that distinguishes them from what is new. Signs of use are like scars; a patina that gives an object character and charm. An originality that only time can offer.
“Fascination for Tanbile Stories”
As I grew older my collection, knowledge and passion continued to expand. My fascination became a lifestyle and I wanted to share this with others. By offering relics I hope to make people revive the past by letting old items tell their stories. I think people have a great appreciation for what has been preserved from past times and may even arouse memories or fantasies. That’s what Roots Revived is all about!
H I S T O R Y
On the face of it – or him, actually – this might seem like an ordinary illustration, but if you take a better look you’ll find many peculiar details! This satirical cartoon depicts none less than Napoleon Bonaparte and critisizes his violent acts of dictatorship. The original cartoon was made by the German Johann Michael…
This unique vase might seem like it has originally been crafted this way, but it was actually made out of a British artillery shell! To escape the daily stress and boredom in the trenches during the First World War, soldiers would distract themselves through the production of art. Appropriately named “Trench art”, soldiers would express…
L A N C A S T E R
This handmade aircraft was not just built by any hobbyist, this wooden model of the iconic Lancaster bomber was made by a RAF pilot who actually used to fly the real deal, and the story behind it makes it even better! In 1941 the Lancaster was first developed by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro, and…
Although Roots Revived offers a diverse collection in which all items have been carefully selected for their roots and nostalgic value, most of these pieces only leave you guessing about their background stories.
This is what gives these “curiosities” their mysterious charm. The sense of the past triggers our imagination and makes us wonder about the things something has been through, the places it has been to and about the people that once owned it. – Actual relics that remain intact while their history remains long forgotten.
But in some rare cases, in addition to the items themselves, the accompanying stories have also been preserved and passed on from generation to generation.
Sometimes these stories are so special that they remain in my memory, even long after the items themselves are no longer in my possession. Like these stories.
F A T E
While reviving and preserving all these precious stories might seem to be my biggest motivation, the other part of what I’m trying to accomplish is passing them on! Making sure they won’t get lost or forgotten but end up somewhere they always seemed to belong. Meeting folks who share my passion and fascination for history and tale like fellow enthusiasts, collectors and wonderers; people who not just see these relics as physical investments but actually appreciate nostalgic value. People who will add more value by attaching even more memories and stories to them! It feels like a common duty to cherish our heritage.
As mysterious as the past of some finds is, so is their destiny. It always is a big surprise where these items will end up but in some rare cases it’s like fate has decided it’s somewhere better than I could have even imagined! Like these places.
T Y P E III
In the 1960’s, back when the famous red tag still was spelled “LEVI’S” with the iconic “Big E”, Levi’s brought out their third ever denim jacket design and appropriately named it the Type III.
This two-front-pocket jacket would become the predecessor of the famous trucker jacket, one of the most popular jackets ever to be worn worldwide! A design that everyone recognizes and has become a real style icon to this day!
Through the years I have been lucky enough to come across a few original 60’s Type III jackets. Once I was approached by a man who told me he worked for years in the actual Levi’s archives in San Francisco, a place where they store thousands of their historic pieces, and he was interested to buy one of the jackets I offered!
The jacket went all the way to San Francisco, back to the place where it was made 60 years ago, and now belongs to this man’s personal collection!
F A U N A T I C
I have this precious memory of how, as a child, I once came across a huge mounted moose head. I remember how intrigued I was by the size of its head and the enormous antlers that were attached to it. Even though I was aware that it was long dead as it was hanging there, mounted high on this wall, it still seemed to stare me right in the eyes! The thought of this animal, once roaming the wild forests and plains, triggered my childly imagination.
By combining my two biggest fascinations, being nature and history, I dreamt of one day becoming a paleontologist when I was little. Spending your days travelling to remote places and digging for tiny bits and clues left from the past; to me this seemed to be the most adventurous lifestyle one could get. The idea of discovering species that inhabited the earth millions of years before we did, and of which we didn’t even know they had existed, expanded my imagination even more!
As I have always loved and been around animals I wanted to know as much as possible about the things I saw and found in nature, and I started to collect everything that I associated with them.
I never became a paleontologist but still I did fulfill my dream by dedicating my life to reviving history! Similar to a paleontologist I spend my days searching for relics that got fossilized over time.
Through the years I have gathered quite a collection of various natural and historical relics, some of which have become quite rare and unique over time!
However collecting and selling taxidermy and animal specimens always comes with a dilemma as it remains a sensitive subject to many, and for good reasons too! We humans haven’t been so careful with the earth and its inhabitants with whom we share this planet. Of what once was wild and untamed now mostly remains usurped and polluted due to our doing.
This awareness sometimes left me questioning whether it is ethical to acquire what actually belongs to nature; isn’t it hypocrite to love animals and yet decorate your house with taxidermy?
Of course I never mean to indirectly stimulate trophy hunting, poaching or smuggling illegal species, especially when they are endangered.
I thought about the motive behind my collection and figured that, to me, these beautiful pieces are no trophies but rather memories and mementos of what used to be majestic living creatures!
That is why, by salvaging and selling these specimens, I want to share and arouse this great fascination and admiration for animals and nature. I also hope to intrigue people (the same way I was intrigued as a child when I saw that moose) whilst raising awareness and appreciation about the precious but endangered wild kingdom that we so urgently need to cherish!
